5 Realistic Tips to Read More Books in 2021
It’s that time of the year when you are wrapping things up and reflecting on the past year, and making new resolutions for the new year. And I know that a lot of you would have this goal in mind:
Read More Books!
I have had a couple friends asking me recently how I find time to read and what can they do to read more, and I thought I would share my tips on Medium as well.
Before I begin, I want to confess that though I had been an avid reader as a kid, I haven’t really read that many books since college.
I made excuses and life was busy, and it was so much easier to just turn on the TV watch Netflix or Youtube for a quick entertainment after a busy day of work.
However, I would get nostalgic with reading from time to time and I would go through cycles of phases where I would pick up a book, get all excited about it, wondering aloud why I haven’t been doing it more and read voraciously for a week. Then I would move on to the next phase, where I drop the habit, forget the joy, and just simply do not read. I would repeat this cycle a couple times a year.
This year I have read 25 books. I know it is not a lot — there are people reading 50, 100 books every year. However, I try to keep track of what I read, and there was this year couple years ago, when I read only 5 books. That was a dark dark year. You would agree that I have improved considerably this year , going from 5 books to 25 books.
So what changed?
Of course, there has been a pandemic going on and I have been, just like everyone else, spending a lot more time at home. Taking advantage of more free, alone time, I tried to build a consistent reading habit and I was able to rekindle my love of reading and realized just how much I missed it.
I feel my life this year, despite of everything going on, has been enriched with more reading and I want to share how I established my reading habits, and 5 realistic tips to read more in the new year.
Remember, these are what worked for me- so feel free to just pick and choose whatever works for you.
1. Read 10 pages before turning on TV
If you are like most people, myself included, you watch a lot of Netflix/ Youtube. Don’t get me wrong- it is an easy, fun entertainment and I am not going to say do not watch TV or watch less TV. All I am saying here is, just make a small commitment to read a few pages before you turn on the TV.
What you are unintentionally doing here, by sticking to this routine, is that you are stacking a new reading habit to an already well established TV watching habit.
I said 10 pages here, but it can be less, it can be more- so at the very least, you will have read couple pages of your book before you lose yourself in your favorite TV show- which I fully support.
2. Break down the goal to small achievable goals & keep a habit tracker
It’s great if you have a New Year resolution to read 12 books, 24 books, even 100 books this upcoming year. However, it is easy to lose motivation early on if your goal is too big, and it is rather difficult to get back on track say in June, after falling off the wagon in February, if you feel like you have already failed to achieve your goal this year
To keep the motivation up, and make it easier to get back on track even if you derail for a little bit, break down your goal to small achievable daily goals.
For example, if your goal is reading 24 books per year- that is about a book every 2 weeks (with some buffer room since we have 52 weeks per year). An average novel is around 240–300 pages- so if you plan to read about 20 pages every day, you will achieve your goal.
20 pages per day sounds a lot more manageable than 24 books per year.
I like keeping a habit tracker to see how I am progressing. Even though we all think we are these complicated life forms, we are actually pretty simple creatures, prone to psychological manipulation. Simply seeing the streak on a habit tracker gives us an odd satisfaction and motivation to keep up the work.
I keep my monthly habit tracker very minimal; it just shows a number of days in a month (i.e. 1- 31 for January) and I just highlight the day if I have successfully practiced the habit (i.e. reading 20 pages). If you google a habit tracker and will be able to see various examples.
It doesn’t matter if you use an app to keep track, or a beautiful artsy tracker that shines with your creativity (hands up you beautiful Bullet Journal people!).
Anything will do.
The best side effect of following this tip may include building a daily reading habit, and with practice, that minimum page reading requirements will become what it is- the minimum- and you will find yourself reading much more.
3. Have a good TBR (To Be Read) List
I didn’t realize that people often struggle to pick books to read until a few people told me that they want to read more, but quite frankly they are not sure what book to start with.
I personally never have this problem because I have never ending TBR list, that I will probably not finish in this lifetime. So when I finish a book, I always have books lining up to be read.
I have an ISTJ personality so I LIKE keeping a list of things and I often go overboard with them, but I honestly think having a TBR list can benefit every reader.
If you don’t have a list and would like to create one, I would start with the best sellers list at bookstores. They are best sellers for a reason- majority of people who read them like them. I would not blindly follow the best sellers’ list however. Do some research and read the back cover of the book for a quick synopsis and some book reviews if you have time to see if you areinterested.
You can also steal from someone else’s TBR list or book recommendation list. A lot of public figures and celebrities have a book list, so google them and browse. Oprah has one, Bill Gates has one, Mark Zuckerberg has one.
Other fun source for book recommendations would be a friend or a family who loves to read. Ask them what they’ve read recently that were good. Tell them a book you really liked in the past, and ask for a recommendation similar to that book.
Personally, I like getting recommendations from friends and families as they know me well, and also they get all excited talking about books they love, and that excitement is kind of contagious. And as you read more and more, you will figure out what types of books you enjoy the most, and will be able to recognize which new books you will likely love.
Whatever way you choose, have a list of books to read so you waste no time in between books.
4. Read multiple books at the same time
Now, this is a new reading habit I developed as a grown up and I stand by it; but I think this may not work for everyone. Read on and see if I convince you.
As a kid, I had a lot of time to read, and quite frankly a longer attention span to finish a book in a spot. Now I only find pockets of time here and there and my ability to concentrate for a long period of time is questionable at best.
So I like reading multiple books at the same time to keep me interested. I often read 2–3 books at a time- usually a mixture of both fictions and non fictions. I like reading non fiction during the day when I have more mental energy to digest it, and fiction to unwind and relax at night times.
My reading speed is different for every book — longer for non fictions that deal with less familiar concepts, and shorter with fictions. You know how sometimes, you feel stuck with this one book because you are progressing really slow, but you want to finish it because you think this is a good book. And because you still haven’t finished this book, you feel that you can’t start other more interesting books.
Well, having multiple books to switch back and forth to give you much more choices and freedom, and a sense of less stuckness ( I totally just made up that word), and more achievement. If you have not tried it, I highly recommend you give it a go and see if you like it.
5. Read by multiple means: e-book, paper books, audio book
Before I elaborate on why I think you should read by multiple means, I want to first establish my relationship with e-books and audio books. I know many of the paper book readers have qualms about e-books and audio books and I perfectly understand why and sympathize. But, here me out because this is a key tip to ensure you secure more reading time in a busy day.
I used to hate the idea of e-books. I was loyal to paper books and e-books just felt,,, too digital. I felt that it took away certain aspects of reading experience: the smell of the paper, feel of the paper on your finger tip, and the quiet sound of pages turning.
I got my Kobo e-book reader for the sole reason that I could borrow and download e-books from the local public library. I used to live far from a library. It also didn’t hurt that I didn’t have to buy too many physical books as I often moved in my 20's.
So I slowly fell in love with the e-book reader. I still love paper books over e-books- but an e-book reader does offer certain advantage with its portability and optimal lighting.
Now audio books- this was definitely a lot harder for me to get into.
For me, books were meant to be read, not listened to. I have read a few audio books and my verdict is: it’s excellent for some books, but not for all. I personally think it is awful for most non fiction books- but pretty amazing for fictions.
Of course the experience largely depends on the narrator; but I found that an audio book adds an interesting dimension to the book and the reading experience. I almost prefer it over reading myself,for certain books.
Mind you, I only read audio books when I am engaged in other activities. For example, when driving, doing dishes, folding clothes- so basically when I am doing any repetitive activities that do not require much of my mental energy. I also like to listen to audio books before bed when I am not sleepy but my eyes are tired.
Reading by various means translate into more reading times.
You can find pockets of time here and there throughout the day and read, and choose the medium depending on how much time you have and what you are doing. For example, for commuting, an e-book is an excellent choice as it is light and portable, and an audio book if you are driving yourself. Paper books are always a pleasure to read when you find a long pocket of time to read under a good lighting. E-books are excellent to carry around and read outside or during the evening and night times under any lighting. Audio-books can be another level of entertainment (like radio or podcast) once you figure out what kind of style you like in audio books.
So that’s it. Those are my 5 tips you can use to read more in the New Year.
If you have liked any tips and will be trying them in the new year, please share below in the comment section.
Thanks and I wish you all a happy Reading new year!
